At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Oregon Board of Forestry will consider moving forward with new draft rules that would change management plans for several state-owned forests, including the Tillamook State Forest.

If adopted, after a rulemaking process that would include opportunities for public comment, the rules would revise approaches for protecting wildlife species, and would reduce long-term goals for the percentage of forest acres that develop into older, more complex stands.

These measures would allow for an increase in timber harvest of about 5 percent over the current yearly target, while the forests would continue to produce a broad range of sustainable benefits, including wildlife habitat, recreation and clean water.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oregon Garden hotel, 895 W. Main St., Silverton.

At the meeting, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will ask the board for permission to proceed with rulemaking, a process that is expected to include one or more public hearings and other comment opportunities before final rules come to the board for adoption next spring.

As part of its ongoing effort to improve the management of state forests, the board will also consider a longer term plan for refining its definition of “greatest permanent value,” the standard that must be used by law to manage the forests for broad benefits.

This process would include use of advisory committees to provide input into the development of rule concepts for the board to review next spring. The board could then choose to advance one or more of those concepts for public review through the rulemaking process.

Other items on the board’s Sept. 9 agenda:

Review of Private Forests Program policy objectives
The board will continue its work on 10 objectives being developed to address current and emerging challenges faced by Oregon’s private forest landowners. The objectives identify issues that include:

Development of non-timber markets, such as biomass and carbon sequestration.

Maintaining Oregon’s position in the forest products world marketplace.

Addressing the risks of conversion of forestland to non-forest uses.

Sustainable forest management indicators update
ODF staff will report on recent work on a set of indicators of sustainable forest management that the board endorsed in 2007. The board will learn the status of work on five indicators, addressing topics such as water quality and biological integrity of forest streams, forest products sector vitality, and forest ecosystem services.

Board of Forestry issue scan
Results of the recently completed 2009 issue scan will be presented to the board. The scan is conducted periodically to gain public input that helps the board determine which forestry-related issues it should address in the future. The process produced 215 suggestions from about 104 individuals and organizations.

Update on stream temperature project
Staff will report initial findings of the long-term Riparian Function and Stream Temperature monitoring project (RipStream). The ongoing project is evaluating the effectiveness of Oregon's stream protection rules under the Forest Practices Act, which includes ensuring that forest operations meet state water quality standards adopted under the federal Clean Water Act.

The meeting is open to the public, and comments will be received on forestry-related items not included in the agenda during a public comment period shortly after 8 a.m. Members of the public wishing to comment on specific agenda items will have an opportunity to address the board during the time each item is scheduled.

Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance can be arranged by calling the ODF Agency Affairs Office at least 48 hours before the meeting - 503-945-7200, text telephone 503-945-7213.

More information on the Board of Forestry can be found at www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/. Background information on agenda items for the Sept. 9 meeting is available through the 2009 Meeting Schedule link.